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Episode 3

Episode 3 of 4

Series following the work of food inspectors. Sniffer dog Bindy is on the hunt for meat and dairy products, and Chris Hollins meets a woman who contracted E. coli.

Matt Allwright visits Felixstowe, more than 40 per cent of Britain's import export trade goes through the port including five million tonnes of food. Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority's inspectors are responsible for checking the foods which arrive including products from Japan, produced near the Fukishima nuclear disaster, which are tested for radiation, and a huge consignment of chilli powder from India.

At Gatwick Airport the UK Border Force are responsible for checking passengers' bags and ensuring that no illegal foodstuffs enter the UK. Sniffer dog Bindy is on the hunt for meat and dairy products which could have come from outside the EU. She sniffs out cheese, meat and butter, all of which are confiscated. A bag containing grasshoppers, though, is perfectly legal to bring into the UK in small quantities only.

The Food Inspectors' resident expert, Ben Milligan, visits a family home in Holmforth, near Huddersfield, which appears very clean and tidy. Colette has three small children including a one-year-old. Colette takes extra precautions with her youngest child and sterilises his bottles, dummies and spoons. Ben tests for bacteria levels and finds that the work surfaces aren't being properly cleaned - Colette uses baby wipes which don't kill the bacteria. The fridge is immaculate but Ben advises her not to overstock it. Packing a fridge to its limits means the air can't circulate to keep it cold. And the baby's bottle also contains bacteria, even though it has been sterilised, so Ben demonstrates how to wash the bottles more thoroughly.

Chris Hollins meets Carole from Exeter who went out for lunch, ate a ham, cheese and tomato panini and ended up in intensive care suffering from E. coli. Carole is convinced, but has been unable to prove, that the E. coli came from the sandwich. Ten months on Carol has lost 80 per cent of her kidney function and suffers from dizzy spells.

1 hour

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Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Matt Allwright
Presenter Chris Hollins
Executive Producer David Emerson

Broadcasts

"I got my hands dirty"

Would host Matt Allwright's kitchen pass a visit from the Food Inspectors?